Telling Trixie
by gwenwifar
Summary: Post Season 4 Holiday fluff. Lucifer joins Chloe and Trixie's Christmas celebrations and they tell Trixie about Lucifer.
1. Chapter 1

Chloe was afraid. She was sitting in front of the Christmas tree in her pjs, with Trixie to her right and Lucifer to her left, both wearing fleecy pjs and delighted smiles, and she was terrified.

She should have known, when she saw the ridiculous number of boxes under the tree. She'd given Lucifer very specific guidelines, but it was, after all, Lucifer. She'd assumed he had found some loophole. She was prepared to be lenient, it was his first Christmas celebration, and he could have misunderstood something. Maybe he thought he could buy a dozen extra gifts, as long as the tag said they were from Santa. She'd decided they'd enjoy opening their gifts, and they'd talk about it later.

But then Trixie came out of her bedroom and dragged them away from the coffee and towards the gifts. She was becoming quite comfortable with having Lucifer around all the time. In the months since his return from Hell, he spent as many nights in their apartment as he did at the penthouse. Trixie hadn't said anything, but every now and then there was a little knowing smile that communicated quite clearly she was pleased with this development.

They had settled in in a semi-circle, Lucifer handing out the gifts. The two he handed them first were eerily similar in size and weight, and Chloe ripped into hers with gusto. She couldn't recall the last time she had been so thrilled to see what was under the tree for her.

Her first gift was a new tablet. Far more fancy that anything she would have bought for herself, not that she would have. She saw a look pass between Lucifer and Trixie and wondered if her daughter had convinced him Chloe wanted a tablet. She made a mental note to ask her daughter later.

"It's quite advanced, I understand. Though it runs on the same system as the tablets Trixie uses at school, so if you run into any trouble I'm sure the urchin can help you set it up."

Trixie nodded quite vigorously, and Chloe knew this was going to be, for all practical purposes, Trixie's tablet. Still, she thanked him warmly, and waited for Trixie to open her gift. She knew It wasn't going to be another tablet, because she had expressly forbid any gifts that cost more than $50. It turned out to be a DVD set. A couple of animated movies, including one that had been her favorite back in her hot tub days - Spirit.

Lucifer handed each of them another gift, and this time, Trixie went first. It turned out to be a doll set, or more accurately a toy horse perfectly sized to go with the doll house Trixie already had. Chloe's gift was a silver bracelet with gems the color of her eyes.

With a smug grin that seemed to indicate he'd saved the best for last, he handed Trixie another flat gift that turned out to be a framed picture of a young mustang that looked not unlike Spirit and the toy horse. Something was up. She was trying to put it together when the actual words Lucifer were saying registered.

He was telling Trixie that they'd go to the ranch soon and she could name the horse, but she couldn't ride him yet.

"You gave Trixie a horse? A real horse?"

"It's only a little one."

"A horse is way more than $50, Lucifer."

"Well, this one was free. I didn't buy him. I told you I have a horse ranch a few hours away. We adopt a number of mustangs every year. A couple of years ago, one of the mares was pregnant and soon after we took her in, he was born. So you see, the horse didn't cost me anything at all, and the frame was well within your limit."

Chloe closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Was he exploiting a loophole, or had he misunderstood? Either way, Trixie was off, trying out names and wanting to know who would take care of the horse and when she could go see him.

Lucifer listened indulgently for a while, a self-satisfied grin plastered all over his face. Finally, as Trixie started to rip into one of the gifts Chloe got her (nothing that could compete with a real horse!), Lucifer reminded her that she still hadn't opened the long box he'd handed her.

She opened the box. Slowly she pulled out a crop made of the finest leather. Black, with highlights the exact color of her eyes. In her mind, she replayed the conversation they had at that Ihop and she knew exactly what was in all those other boxes. Riding boots. Orgy pants. A corset the color of her eyes. A harness. Everything she would need to take her stallion for a ride. None of it fit for an actual horse.

Her eyes shifted from the crop in her hand to her daughter, now pulling the toy horse out of its box and completely disregarding her, to the boxes still under the tree. And she was afraid. She was very, very afraid.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are all these for me?" she choked out.

"You said only 3 for the urchin..." he let that hang, waiting for her to come to the logical conclusion.

"Yes, I did. I thought maybe you had found some loophole. Maybe bought a few "from Santa" gifts or something…" she hesitated. She really didn't want all these to be for her.

"That was an option?" he seemed annoyed he had not been informed.

"Not really," she mumbled, but he was already reaching and grabbing two biggish boxes from the back.

"I'll open those later," she decided. "Much later."

She raised her eyes from the gifts to Lucifer, and he saw what he'd learned to recognize as her we-need-to-talk look.

"Right, let's get it over with then," he pronounced. He handed the boxes to Trixie.

"Here, child, from Santa. Go open them in your room."

"What are those?"

"Paint set and an easel."

She looked confused momentarily.

"You bought me a paint set and an easel?"

"Well, you said only 3 gifts for the child, what was I supposed to do? I figured you'd just look at it, thank me politely and give them to Trixie tomorrow."

"Was this also the plan for the tablet?"

Lucifer looked at his shoes for a moment, and when he redirected, Chloe took pity on him and followed his lead.

"So, you wanted to talk," he smiled his most charming smile.

"Lucifer, which of these gifts are actually for me?"

He pulled out a couple of boxes, one of which she recognized as her gift for him, and then gestured vaguely at everything else.

"How many of these can I safely open in front of Trixie?"

He hesitated, like he wasn't quite sure what she meant.

"I mean, which ones can I open without awkward questions?"

He thought about it, then pulled out 2 small gifts. Cringing a bit, he explained.

"I didn't actually intend for you to open the rest of them in front of the child. I thought we could open them later, after Trixie goes to bed. Maybe try them on for size," his eyes twinkled a bit at that. "But perhaps I should have refrained from putting them under the tree. The child does love to ask questions. I should have considered that."

He apologized sweetly, and then they moved the problematic gifts into the bedroom for later. Tomorrow they'd have to talk about these extra gifts for Trixie. Still, she supposed if he was going to be part of the family occasions now, she'd have to come to terms with his extravagant gifts. Perhaps her focus should be less on preventing the giving of them altogether and more on keeping them within sensible parameters and making sure they wouldn't go to Trixie's head. Lucifer was generous. He deserved to have his generosity accepted, and Trixie deserved to feel spoiled once in a while.

Today they needed to talk about what they were going to tell Trixie. When she'd suggested he join them for Christmas, she'd hinted it would be a good time to talk to the child about Lucifer, and also about them. She was aware, of course, of the change in their relationship. But perhaps it was time to be clear with her. Say the words.

Honestly, Chloe wasn't sure what the word to describe where they were was either. This was the stage where she'd normally start hearing wedding bells. But well, it was Lucifer. Was that even a thing for him? Did she really need bells? She wanted her child to know what was happening. Trixie had a right to know. But also, Chloe needed some clarification herself. And Trixie needed to know who Lucifer was, if only for her own protection. She needed to know she could pray to him if she needed help.

He'd been evasive, and she'd let him evade. A couple of weeks to think about, process, talk to Linda. But maybe it was time to stop evading. She kept her eyes on the gifts as if she was just so very impressed with the bows that she could not look away.

"Are we…? Ready to tell Trixie?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It wasn't the telling he was jittery about, of course. He just didn't know. He didn't know if the child would be terrified. If he'd still be welcome here if she was. If they'd be back to square one, dancing around their feelings for each other. What square they were on now, even. They were all but living together. She left some clothes and toiletries in his penthouse; he had half a closet and a drawer for his stuff here. He had breakfast with them most mornings, even on days when he didn't sleep over. He supposed that the next step was marriage. But after Candy and Pierce, that just didn't seem… right. It didn't feel right, and he really didn't know where that left them.

He did know that he wanted to spend the rest of their lives with them. He knew how deeply he wished it could be the rest of *his* life. He supposed, in the end, how that was accomplished didn't really matter.

"Tell me what?" Trixie piped up, coming back from her room with her sleeves covered in paint stains.

"About next weekend." Lucifer's eyes pleaded with her over the child's head.

"What's next weekend?"

"We're going to the ranch!" he announced. "So you can meet your horse and maybe start taking some lessons, if that's ok with your mother."

Trixie's delighted cries filled the room, and after she ran off to look through her closet for what she wanted to pack, Lucifer sighed and mumbled.

"We'll tell her at the ranch."

He seemed as uncertain as she was, and less comfortable with it, so she let it go for now, and settled down next to him to discuss her daughter's riding lessons.

Trixie stuck her head out her bedroom door.

"What do you wear for riding horses?"


	3. Chapter 3

_I guess I'm going to find out_, she'd told her daughter, eyeing the rest of the gifts. But she didn't, not until two nights later, when Trixie was at Dan's. They were at the penthouse, and for once, she'd made Lucifer lock the elevator upstairs, just in case. Right about now Dan was probably hearing about Trixie's gifts which meant the douche in her ex was about to come out full force. She was expecting a phone call, but on the off chance he decided to come over to address the horse issue in person…

Chloe turned the ringer volume way down, and finally gave her attention to the rest of the gifts. Riding boots. One set of the most stunning cowboy boots she'd ever seen, soft perfect fit like well-worn favorites, for all the untouched shiny smoothness of them. And one set of shiny, pure black leather knee high boots that seemed to have been shaped specifically for her feet and calves and were clearly not meant for rough handling. One pair for riding horses, and one for – well, other activities. Fit for spurs. She raised an eyebrow and opened another box to find the spurs. Stunning silver, simple and functional, much like Chloe herself.

The phone beeped, and Chloe had a look to see it was Dan calling. She reached for another box and let it go to voicemail. This time it was riding pants. One pair easily the most comfortable thing she'd ever worn. She could ride all day in these, work up a sweat, and never feel sticky or chafed or gross. The second pair was just as comfortable but rather more lacking in certain areas. Areas she wouldn't want touching a horse's body directly. She was beginning to see a pattern here.

The phone beeped again, indicating a new voicemail. She hesitated, then decided to listen, just in case he was calling to tell her that some sort of accident had befallen Trixie. She gave Lucifer an apologetic smile and handed him his gift, then pushed to listen.

_So our child was just telling me about her Christmas gifts…_

She watched Lucifer delicately working at opening the gift as if it was the first one he'd ever gotten and he wanted this moment to last. Was it the first one he'd gotten?

_A real horse? Are you kidding me?_

He pulled the tape free without ripping the paper, somehow, then opened it delicately, smoothing it down around the small box and examining the box inside.

_What does it even eat? When will she.._

He noted the name of a local jewelers on the box lid and gave her an inquiring look. Then he opened the lid and pulled out a pair of cufflinks. They were silver, with an odd symbol that appeared to be made of some sort of blood red textured gemstone. He examined them carefully, then looked at her expectantly.

_How am I supposed to compete with a real horse?_

Surely if anything had happened to Trixie he would have said so by now. She deleted the voicemail and set the phone aside, then reached for one of the cufflinks.

"It's the sigil of Lucifer," she explained, "the symbol Luciferians use to connect with – uh, well, with you, with what you stand for."

Feeling a bit awkward about it now, she looked at the cufflink in her hand.

"I thought it might remind you, sometimes, that not everyone thinks you're evil."

She handed it back and reached to open the next box Lucifer had ready for her. She was already looking at the corset inside when she heard a sort of stunned whisper.

"Thank you."

And the look on his face was worth all the work it had been to convince the jeweler to make it for him.

oOoOo

There were more riding clothes, some "leather accessories", supple, and almost the exact color of her hair, somehow. Beautifully decorated with what appeared to be a fully involved flame design. And then she noticed that in amid all the flames there were initials burned into the leather. CM. _Chloe…. Morningstar_?

Before she could say another word, Lucifer pushed the last of the boxes in front of her and indicated that she should open it. She did, still trying to work out what this meant. Inside she found another set of leather, this one all tough black and titanium fittings, and definitely not sized to fit her. She laid it out on the floor and when it was spread out at her feet, she saw, right in the middle, where she couldn't fail to see it whenever it was in use, where all the straps came together above where Lucifer's heart would be, a large ring with another set of initials. LD. _Lucifer Decker_.

She traced the initials slowly, putting it together in her mind._ Chloe Morningstar. Lucifer Decker. I belong to you. You belong to me._ Whatever Lucifer was insecure about, it wasn't their feelings for each other. She set aside the leather and went speechless into his arms.


	4. Chapter 4

Ella was the first to get out of the car when they arrived at the ranch. Chloe still wasn't sure why she was with them. Lucifer had say something about babysitting Trixie while they went for a ride, but it had seemed like there was more to it. Maybe he wanted her there for emotional support, if Trixie didn't handle the news well.

They had pulled up to the main house doors, and a man came out to meet them and unload their bags. In the time it had taken for Lucifer to get out, greet the man and hand him the car keys, all 3 of the ladies had made their way to the paddock fence next to the house. They kept the babies there, and their mothers if they were young enough. The mustangs were in another field, and the horses they'd be riding were in a barn around the back.

Lucifer walked up to them and delighted all 3 by clicking at the youngest of the colts and making it approach the fence. It seemed animals were just as draw to his charm as most people. They decided to go on a tour of the place before lunch so set out to see the outbuildings and meet some of the ranch hands. Trixie met her horse, briefly, and the cowboy who tended to the animal. She was a bit upset to find out she wouldn't be riding her horse for some time yet, as he was too young to ride. But she could learn on a nice, sweet, older horse, so she'd be ready for him when he was ready for her to ride.

They changed into comfortable riding clothes, and ended up lingering over lunch outside, under a tree, within view of the baby paddock. Without work threatening to interfere or secrets to worry about, they were more relaxed than they had ever been, joking around, playfully needling each other, and talking about all the little unimportant things they never seemed to have time for. Eventually, a stable hand brought around two saddled horses for Trixie and Ella, and the first lesson began. Chloe and Lucifer tried, but they couldn't decide which of the two was more adorably delighted by the experience of riding for the first time.

After a while, Lucifer went to speak to the stable hand and then disappeared. He returned astride a very large, glossy black stallion. He walked the horse in Chloe's general direction and watched her eyes widen at the sight of the great beast.

"Meet Storm."

He watched her approach, slowly, her hand extended to the horse in invitation. She stopped a few feet away, waited for Storm to reach closer and smell her hand, then moved in the rest of the way to rub his neck, crooning nonsense softly to the horse. When she raised her head to look at him, her smile nearly knocked him off his ride.

"I thought while Ella and Trixie practice walking around in here, we could go for a little ride."

She nodded, willing enough, but added.

"You're not fooling anybody. You just want to see how I handle myself before you let me ride your stallion on my own."

He conceded with a nod, then helped her climb up in front of him.

"Wouldn't it be easier to assess my skill level if I had my own horse?"

"Yes, but I'm not prepared for that yet."

He settled her snugly in front of him, his arms reaching for the reins and he slowly moved the horse away. With Lucifer's feet in the stirrups and the reins in his hands, she found herself gripping the horse's body with her thighs and holding on to the mane. He reached and pulled her closer. If she could have seen Lucifer's face as she shifted and adjusted her position, she might have changed her mind about his motivations. As it was, she was too focused on the horse, and the thrill of riding a stallion, as she'd always wanted to, even if she hadn't quite imagined she'd be riding double.

A few steps later they were clear of the buildings and trotting down a path towards what seemed to be an empty meadow. Another minute and he leaned closer to whisper in her ear.

"Ready?"

She nodded enthusiastically, and he urged the horse into a full gallop. The spirited horse needed very little encouragement to run, and as soon as he was given permission to fly, he was off. He heard Chloe's laugh, first. Saw the firm grip of her hands on the horse's hair, the way her thighs moved to keep her balanced and moving with the horse.

_Just making sure she really is a good rider_, he told himself. But he knew himself too well, and the devilish smile on his face had a different interpretation. He felt her hair break loose of the tie and fly into his face, and he leaned closer, tucking his face over her shoulder, so he could still see where they were going. He was practically wrapped her around her like this and it was hands down the most comfortable and enjoyable ride of his abnormally long life. And getting more so the longer the horse's movements kept them moving together.

He angled his body away from her a bit, not wanting to embarrass himself just yet, but realized his mistake when the next bounce practically delivered her onto his lap. He had been trying to decide whether it was more urgent to control himself or the horse, but clearly the decision had been made for him. Lucifer was fast approaching the end of his self-control. He slowed the horse down to a walk, then a stop, took a deep breath and pulled her tight against him. He could taste the change in mood the moment the horse stopped and she turned slightly to look at him over her shoulder. Without the thrill of the ride to distract her she started noticing other things. The way his breath was still racing, the tightness in muscles that didn't need to be tight anymore, the way his body shifted when she moved against him. Testing, she moved as if innocently adjusting her position now that the horse had stopped. The faintest moan rang in her ears, followed by a throaty chuckle.

"Perhaps we should stop for a snack," he calmly suggested, in his best country squire voice.

She managed to hold back her own chuckle. They'd need a better excuse to explain their extended absence to the others. A snack wasn't going to hold any water when they hadn't brought a scrap of food with them, or even saddlebags or any sort of container that could conceivably have held food.

"Now that you mention it, I am feeling kinda peckish."


	5. Chapter 5

They let Trixie tell them all she had learned that afternoon, not just about riding, but about caring for her horse as well. She seemed especially interested in the grooming process. Maybe it felt like a very large version of dress-up. She went on for some time about the different brushes and what they were for, the texture of the horse's mane, and different ways it could be neatly braided and decorated. The adults listened indulgently, but eventually she ran out of things to say and there was only silence.

"Is something wrong?" she stage whispered to Ella.

"I don't think so," was Ella's answer. They eyed Chloe and Lucifer expectantly, however, just in case.

"No, child, nothing's wrong," Lucifer confirmed, "but we do need to talk about something important. More than one thing, actually."

Trixie focused all her attention on Lucifer and waited for him to start. She suspected this had something to do with all the time Lucifer was spending with them lately. She couldn't quite figure out why he looked so serious, but he looked like he was feeling kinda like she did when she had to tell her mommy about something bad that happened at school.

"Will you do something for me?" Lucifer asked her. "This could be a bit scary for a kid. Will you remember that you're safe and I would never, ever hurt you or your mother?"

Trixie nodded, starting to get apprehensive now. Maybe this wasn't about dating mommy after all. But if that wasn't it, what could it be? She sat up straighter, facing Lucifer squarely.

Lucifer really wasn't sure what to say. He hesitated, and after a couple of false starts realized he was scaring the child with all the dramatic pauses, so he blurted it out.

"I'm the devil."

Trixie continued to watch him, patiently waiting for the big announcement.

"You know, the real devil. King of Hell. For real."

Trixie raised an eyebrow and looked at her mom. Unsure what to make of the silence, Lucifer continued.

"I'm not going to hurt you or your mom, I promise. It's still me, I'm still safe."

Trixie was turning back to him now, still silent. As awkward as he'd often felt around children, he was startled to realize he was actually starting to feel a little scared himself. This is not how he imagined it would go. Why wasn't she saying anything?

"In fact, it's even a good thing. I can't get hurt most of the time, and if you are ever in danger you can pray to me and I'll come find you."

That finally got a reaction. Her eyes widened and for a second it looked as though she was weighing the possibilities.

"Cool!" she finally whispered.

"Aren't you scared?" Lucifer asked, still not understanding how this had strayed so far from the conversation he'd roleplayed with Linda the week before.

_"Of you_?_"_ For a moment he could swear she was going to laugh at the very notion of being afraid of the devil.

He wasn't sure if he felt relieved or slightly insulted, but as confusing as the small human often was, tonight she was a walking puzzle. This conversation was leaving him more, not less uncertain.

"It's not a crazy idea. Lots of people are afraid of the devil."

It suddenly occurred to Trixie he'd been prepared for her to be afraid, expecting her to be afraid, and that he wasn't sure what to think when she wasn't. This was one of those moments, she realized, when Lucifer needed a friend, and this time, she was exactly the friend he needed.

"Yeah, well, lots of people are stupid." She quickly glanced at Chloe to see if she was going to get in trouble for that, then got up and went to stand next to Lucifer. She really wasn't sure what she was going to say, but he was worried that she'd be scared, so it seemed like a good thing to talk about. Ignoring everyone else in the room, she gave Lucifer all her attention.

"I used to be scared all the time, you know. Mom and dad's job is pretty scary. I used to be scared every day that they'd get hurt and then I'd be alone. But then one day mom brought you to my school and you made the bully stop, even though you didn't really need to. She told me about your eyes, you know? She would have told me anything I asked, cause she was afraid I'd tell you she was being mean again. And you tell everyone you're the devil, so it's not like it was a secret."

She paused, thinking, looking into Lucifer's eyes. She couldn't tell what was going on behind his eyes, but he seemed less confused, so she kept talking.

"Anyway, after that I started hearing things. Things about how you were helping mommy at work, and how you were her partner and I knew that you would protect mommy just like you protected me. At first I worried about what if something happened to you. I don't know much about being the devil. I got lots of questions."

She couldn't help the smile that flooded her face then. She'd had some time to think up questions and now she was going to have a chance to ask them, finally.

"But then that guy kidnapped me, and I saw you."

He seemed alarmed at this, and she went on quickly, wanting him to understand.

"You died, Lucifer. I saw you. Just as you were dying, you were asking your dad to help us, not to save you. And then you got right back up again and you saved us. That's when I stopped being afraid."

"You did?"

"You love us, Lucifer. And you take care of us. Even dying didn't stop you. I know that you will make sure mommy and I will always be safe." She hugged him briefly, then her eyes twinkled and she faced him again, with a huge smile on her face.

"And now you're telling me that if we get into some kind of trouble when you're not around we can just pray and you will come help. Why would I _ever_ be afraid of _anyone_ again?"

He looked at Chloe over the child's head, and the smile on her face matched the wonder on the urchin's so closely that he felt all the uncertainty slip out of him in a sort of startled sigh.

"You're remarkably clever, spawn." He paused, then continued.

"Sometimes I don't look like this. Sometimes I have to show people my devil face, to get them to stop what they're doing. It's a very scary face. Sometimes it's not just my face. And when that happens I'm usually really angry. But it's still me, I just look different. It's still safe."

"Can you show me?" she asked. "So I'll know it's you if I see you."

Lucifer looked at Chloe again, and she nodded.

He stood up, stepped aside a few steps, and changed into his devil form.

"Cool!"

He seemed to be unable to scare this child, and he decided to find it endearing. Then the devil face winked at Trixie and he changed again, back to the face she was familiar with, and then in another second, his white wings were spread out on both sides of him, faintly glowing. This time she gasped and her jaw dropped, but she said nothing. She looked as though the horse he'd given her had turned out to be a unicorn.

Thrilled that he finally seemed to have impressed her, he put his wings away and sat down again.

He felt her arms slide around him, and hugged her back for a moment, before straightening up, adjusting his coat and cufflinks. His voice took on his back-to-business charm, and he gestured to Trixie's chair.

"Alright then, let's have those questions."


	6. Chapter 6

Trixie got comfortable and chose her first question carefully.

"Why do people think you have horns?"

"Beats me. Also don't really understand the goat heads, so don't ask."

She nodded.

"What's Hell like?"

"Sad and terrifying, at least for the human souls that go there. For me, it's mostly lonely and boring."

"Lonely? Don't you have friends there?"

Lucifer thought about it for a second.

"No."

Trixie's head tilted, as she sorted through her mental question cards.

"Are you going back to Hell?"

"Eventually. There's nowhere else for me to go, in the end. But not for a very long time, so don't worry about it."

"Why can't you go to Heaven?"

"I'm not allowed."

"Why not?" she insisted.

"A long time ago, I…" he hesitated, working through how to explain this to a child as he went along. "I disobeyed my dad. He didn't like that, and we had a bad fight. And then some of my brothers and sisters got involved and it turned into a really bad fight. A bit of a war, really. So he threw me out and made it so I can never go back. He sent me to Hell."

"Your dad sounds mean. Also, your brothers and sisters. Are they still in Heaven?

"Most of them," Lucifer decided this was actually a very good point to elaborate on. Trixie might come across some of his siblings and she should know who she could trust.

"Amenadiel is here in LA. He's a good guy, you can trust him. You can pray to him too, if there's ever a time I can't help you. And Rae-Rae is my little sister. She is never is the same place very long, but you'll definitely meet her, eventually. She's Ella's friend, and her job is to take souls to Heaven when people die. She's also a good angel. Most people are afraid of her too, but she's actually very nice. You can trust her. But the others are still in Heaven, and stay there unless they have some sort of mission on Earth."

He considered, then added a warning.

"If you ever meet an angel that isn't Amenadiel or Rae-Rae, you should pray for me immediately. Some of my siblings are extremely bad news, and can't be trusted."

"Do you miss Heaven?"

"Sometimes. There are a lot of beautiful things there. But not often."

"Do you miss your dad?"

"I miss the way it used to be, before-" he gave her a sad little smile. "I don't like him very much, what he wants, what he stands for. But I loved him, a long time ago. Sometimes I wonder if I still do."

Seeing the lost look in his eyes, Trixie decided it was time to lighten things up.

"Heaven sounds like the mean girls table in the high school cafeteria."

With a chuckle, Chloe piped in. "What do you know about high school?"

"I watch movies," Trixie threw over her shoulder. Then she turned her attention back to Lucifer and explained.

"The mean girls table is where the popular kids sit. They're pretty, and dressed up, and they laugh a lot. Looks like a lot of fun to sit there and everyone is always talking about how they want to sit there. Doing dumb stuff for a chance to get invited. But most of the time, when you finally get invited, it turns out everyone it's just a bunch of jerks that you don't want to be friends with. I'm sorry you got kicked out, but I'm glad you're not in Heaven anymore."

Lucifer realized that he was too. He didn't like Hell but thinking about it now he found Heaven really didn't have much to recommend it either. Trixie was on to her next question.

"Why do you have a devil face and angel wings?"

"Because I'm an angel. I was an angel before I became the devil."

"Can you fly?"

"I can." His eyes came back into sharp focus and his smile was suddenly delighted.

"Can you take me flying with you?"

"Maybe sometime, if it's okay with your mother."

"Do you have superpowers?"

His smile went quirky.

"You could say I have super strength, and most of the time bullets bounce right off me, if that's what you mean. And I can get most people to tell me things they don't want to say, but that feels a bit like cheating, so I only do it to stop people doing bad things."

"Can you die? You know, for real, where you can't come back."

"I can, but it's very hard. Only a very few things can hurt me like that. I can't die of old age or any of the things that kill normal humans."

"Are you going to be my dad?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Ask your mother," he'd replied.

"Why?" Trixie wanted to know.

"Mothers should almost always decide who gets to be their child's dad. It doesn't always work out that way… but they should."

Trixie didn't look convinced, but she nodded, and two pairs of eyes turned to Chloe. Not really knowing who she was talking to, she stammered out:

"If – if that's what you want, I – I'd like that."

The two pairs of eyes looked at each other, and two heads gave small but significant nods at each other. Trixie settled in again and chose to pursue an entirely different line of questioning now.

"Are you going to live with us?"

"I already am living with you, mostly," he edged, thinking of the way so many of their things had made it to the other's apartment.

"Not all the time though. Could we get a house?"

"Your mother and I will discuss it," he groaned internally. It had been all of 10 seconds and he was already sounding like a father.

"Can I have my own room at the penthouse?"

"The penthouse wasn't really designed for children," he pointed out, "and I'm hardly ever there anyway, but I suppose you could have one of the guest bedrooms."

"With my own hot tub?"

"Why don't we start with a regular tub and see how it goes?"

Her face took on the calculating look that he often saw in her mother when she was trying to decide how to approach a suspect.

"Chocolate cake every night?"

"As long as you eat a balanced meal first."

"Can we go camping?"

"Tent or RV?"

"Tent."

"I suppose we can do it once or twice a year, in the summer, but I refuse to be without warm running water longer than 36 hours."

"3 days."

"48 hours tops, and only if there's wifi."

Trixie nodded, her smile letting him see she'd already found the loophole.

"Sleepovers?"

"Not at the penthouse." He spat out urgently. "But if you must have them, we can arrange for a nice big suite, or perhaps a luxury tree house at the new place. Would that work?"

They started negotiating the details of this house that Lucifer was supposed to be discussing with Chloe later, and she decided to be amused rather than irritated at the way those two had just taken over her life. She was outnumbered, and disinclined to fight it, at least for the moment. Ella leaned over, momentarily distracting her from the negotiations.

"Does this mean you guys are going to get married?"

"I don't think so," she said through her smile. "At least not in the near future."

"But it sounds like maybe you'll be moving soon, at least."

Chloe sighed, and entered negotiations of her own.

"I hear you have brothers. How many pizzas is it going to take to get some help with that?"

oOo

All negotiations had been concluded, dessert had been dealt with, and there had been some sitting under the stars, watching the colts, before it was time for Trixie to go to bed. It was decided that Lucifer would read her a story, much to his awkward surprise, and he went, a resigned look on his face indicating that these were the truly daunting challenges of parenthood, but he would face them as willingly as he had faced certain death in the past. Trixie led the way, and as they walked into the house, a new negotiation began.

"I already call daddy daddy. So do you want to be dad?"

"O, I think we can do better than that, spawn. How about sire?"

"I don't know what that even is. Pops?"

"What are you, 60? Absolutely not."

"Papa?"


End file.
